HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – An in-state showdown is set for BB&T Arena on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., as the Northern Kentucky men's basketball team welcomes Eastern Kentucky to the venue.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (6-3 Overall, 0-0 Horizon League)
Eastern Kentucky University Colonels (3-5 Overall, 0-0 OVC)
Sunday, Dec. 8 – 7:00 p.m. (ET)
TV: Fox Sports Ohio with Brady Laber (PxP) and Brad Redford (Color)
Also available on ESPN+, but blacked out in Fox Sports Ohio market.
Radio: 55KRC with Jim Kelch (PxP) and Rick Broering (Color)
Stats: Live Stats
 
Promotions and Tickets
The first 1,000 fans receive through the doors receive NKU flags. Happy Hour in the Braxton Beer Garden begins at 6 p.m. and features $5 draft Braxton Beers. Tickets are $14 each and includes admission to the women's basketball game versus Louisville at 2 p.m. They can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Pendleton County residence can purchase $9 tickets to the men's game with proof of ID.
 
Fast Break Points
• NKU dominated Miami (Ohio) in a 76-54 road win, thanks to 50 percent field-goal shooting and stifling defense that held the RedHawks to just 33 percent from the floor.
• NKU squares off against in-state foe Eastern Kentucky on Sunday night. The Norse are 3-6 all-time against the Colonels with this serving as the third meeting in the last three years. The teams split the two previous meetings with the home team holding serve.
• NKU has been stingy on the defensive end, holding teams to 66.1 points per game. But, NKU makes its hay with the nation's fifth-best 3-point field-goal shooting defense, limiting foes to just 24 percent.
• The Norse have ripped off 85 steals so far, a total that ranks 19th in the nation. The team's 9.4 steals per game also rank 26th.
• Offensively, the Norse are letting it rain from long range this year. The team ranks 14th in the country in 3-point field-goal attempts (261) and 27th in made threes (84).
• Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, NKU is 44-6 (.880) at BB&T Arena. The Norse also sold a program-record 1,403 season tickets this year.
• NKU is in the first year of the Darrin Horn era, as the Kentucky native is just the sixth head coach in the 49th season of the program. In his 10th year as a head coach, Horn has a career record of 177-114.
• NKU is coming off of its second trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last three years, where it fell 72-57 to No. 3 Texas Tech, which finished as the national runner-up.
• NKU has been the most-dominant team in the Horizon League over the last three seasons, amassing a 46-15 mark against league foes while winning four of the combined six league championships (regular season and tournament).
• With a DI-era record 26 wins last year, NKU secured a third-straight 20-win season for the first time in the DI era and just the third time in program history.
• Since the start of the 2016-17 season, NKU is a combined 78-33 (.703), has won the Horizon League regular season twice (2018, 2019) and league tourney twice (2017, 2019), and has played in both the NCAA Tournament (2017, 2019) and NIT (2018). No other team in DI history has registered this level of accomplishments in its first three years with active status.
• Over the last three games against DI competition, F Dantez Walton has averaged 31.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
• Walton registered two 30-point double-doubles against Texas Southern (33 points, 10 rebounds) and Arkansas (30 points, 10 rebounds) before posting 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists at Miami (Ohio). He's the only player in the NCAA this season with two 30-point double-doubles.
• Walton has 834 career points to rank No. 43 all-time at NKU.
• G Trevon Faulkner is one of four returning starters for NKU this year. The sophomore guard is averaging 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
• Faulkner used 9-of-16 shooting to tally a career-best 24 points versus Texas Southern.
• G Bryson Langdon has started the last six games for Northern Kentucky and averaged 4.0 assists in the outings.
• Langdon netted 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting against Midway.
• G Tyler Sharpe, a Preseason All-Horizon League Second-Team honoree, is averaging 13.1 points per game for the Norse.
• Though only in his third season as a Norse, Sharpe moved into the top-50 all-time scorers at NKU with his 18-point showing at Missouri. He now ranks 44th with 831 points as a Norse.
• F Adrian Nelson ripped a career-best 12 rebounds in NKU's win at Miami, helping the Norse win the rebound battle, 38-36.
 
Last Time Out
Walton continued his onslaught through the nonconference slate. The senior poured in his third 30-point outing in the last three games, going for 32 points, eight rebounds and four assists while leading the Norse to a 22-point blowout (76-54) road win over Miami. Walton made 13-of-20 shots, including 4-of-9 from three. The Norse shot 50 percent (28-of-56) for the game thanks to a blistering 61.5 percent (16-of-26) clip in the second half. Miami was limited to just 33 percent shooting (18-of-55) and a miniscule 17 percent (4-of-24) from 3-point range. Nelson's career-high 12 rebounds helped NKU win the battle of the boards, 38-36, and a 16-13 advantage in turnovers allowed the Norse to outscore the RedHawks, 14-7, in points off miscues. Sharpe added 18 points as nine Norse found the scoring column.
 
Scouting Eastern Kentucky
EKU is just 3-5 on the season but is led by super sophomore guard Jomaru Brown who averages 19.0 points per game. But, Brown converts just 29 percent from three and only has 12 assists compared to 42 turnovers (6.00 topg). Senior Guard Ty Taylor is the only other Colonel averaging double digits at 13.1 ppg. Darius Hicks leads the team rebounding with 8.0 rpg. Eastern Kentucky turns up the defensive pressure and forces an average of 21.9 turnovers per game, the second most in the country. It also has the fourth-best mark nationally in steals per game at 11.0.
 
Series Stuff
Northern Kentucky is 3-6 all-time against Eastern Kentucky. This marks the third-straight season the teams will meet on the hardwood, with the home team winning each of the last two. NKU claimed a 91-63 win at BB&T Arena on Dec. 2, 2017, while EKU's Nick Mayo hit a game winner with just two seconds left. The Norse are15-29 all-time versus teams currently in the OVC. However, since the start of the 2016-17 season (three years) Northern Kentucky is 7-1 against OVC schools.